YOUR Personal and Honest Feelings on Brad Beal

Beal is a prospect that I am most confused about when concerned with his prospect and how he was valued so highly in the draft. I can see why most anyone else is valued as high or as low are they were. He is the one I just dont get though.

Did I have him high in my mock? Of course, because thats where he was going to go...but personally, I wouldnt have picked him that high.

Some people on here are not as high on Beal as all the hype and scouts were, they seem not to come out much though.

Using 3 players that Brad Beal is either compared to or measured against...I want to know what EVERYONE's true opinion of him is.

Harrison Barnes - If you listen to Jay Bilas, if he didnt say anything else about Barnes, he repeated it over and over again, that Barnes is an "elite jumpshooter". Just taking a quick look, Barnes freshman season, he shot 34% on 5.3 attempts. This year, just shy of 36% on 3.6 attempts. Barnes has been questioned about his handle and ability to get to the rim...but his jumpshot has never been in question. When all else failed, he could count on getting his numbers just off jumpshots alone. He never really struggled with it even though he was counted on it heavily and a lot of times had to force shots because creation was not his strong suit. Barnes is a good sized SF, with good strength, scoring ability and shooting stroke. The best thing that Beal is credited for his being able to shoot yet there is no evidence to support him being better than Barnes in that department.

Austin Rivers - Rivers was the #1 player in HS last year. Rivers was the talk of the nation. In a lot of mocks, it was Rivers who was top 5, not Beal. There was always the debate about who was better. Mostly Beal was lauded again for his shooting ability. Rivers shot 36% on 4.7 attempts. Beal shot 33% on 5 attempts. Assists, steals, and turnovers were basically the same for both. The reason why most people cite Beal as a better prospect is because he is a better rebounder (we will have to see if that translates or because he basically played SF or 3rd guard). Athletically, Beal is not better. Beal is not as good a shot creator. (Keep that last one in mind). Why is it that Beal was a basic lock for the top 5 when Rivers got zero top 5 looks. Rivers was a borderline top 10 pick.

Ray Allen - When comparing Beal to another NBA player, the name that comes up the most is Ray Allen. I tried to see the comparisons but just have never been able to. Why Ray Allen? Because Beal can shoot? We went over that...Beal has not proven to be a pure shooter or surely he would have at least equal number to Rivers or Barnes. Allen is one of the purest shooters in history...so it cant be that. Is it athleticism? To me, Allen had elite athleticism and as crazy as it may seem, Allen may still be on par with Beal athletically even at 36. It cant be shot creation (remember I mentioned above). Allen could easily get his shot...but thats probably one of the underated facets of his game...for the simple reason that Allen could do something else very special. Move without the ball. Allen (and Rip Hamilton alike) were masters of moving without the ball and navigating through screens....wide open at top speeds. Its yet to be seen if Beal will be on their level as far as that is concerned. I didnt really need to mention shooting but may as well, as a freshman in college Allen shot 40% from 3pt and 51% from the field. Allen was a franchise level player earlier in his NBA career...is Beal that good?

What is the obsession with Beal and why did he climb the board so high? When I started hearing that he would go before Harrison Barnes in the draft I was surprised. Likewise when I heard he would go up to 11 spots higher than Rivers (Beal 2nd/Rivers 13th).

What is your opinion on Beal, hype and scout chatter aside? What is the intrigue with Bradley and do you think it is warranted? ALL opinions welcomed.

He's a complete player and can fit in with any team. He rebounds great for his position, plays great defense, and can shoot. He might not never be a 20ppg scorer but he'll give you 18ppg IMO and play hard on both ends of the court.

He just does everything good and nothing really bad and can just fit in with any style of PG.

ok, so from the tone of responses I am getting, it seems he is so highly valued because he is a safe pick? he is the SG version of Kidd-Gilchrist? a guy who will be solid for a long time on both ends of the floor but maybe not the upside of other prospects that were taken after him?

IFhes in a good system. But if not hes an undersized shooting guard that has a pretty albeit only moderateely effective jumper and no ability to create or play point. Some guy said he wqas more athletic than Rivers , thats absurd.

hes what you would call a 'nice' player. Hype ran this draft. Thats why I like clevelends choice they didnt just do what the media was saying. wrong or right they used the infop they had to make a decision

I agree about the hype in the draft. It was like Beal and Rivers were being closely compared one day and the next, everyone was saying Beal was going 2 or 3, leapfrogging Barnes, Robinson, and although he didnt produce in college...the gifted Drummond. I didnt see where the rise came from except his tourney play...but he did stuff in the tourney we already knew he could do...he just played better than he did early in the season.

I also like Cleveland's choice, this year and last year. They arent afraid to go left, they obviously pick the players THEY like the most. Actually, they may have thrown a smokescreen because after the combine it looked for sure that they wanted Beal and they probably did if they were able to pull that deal off with the Bobcats. It makes me wonder if Beal wouldve fell to 4th would they still have taken Waiters? They obviously have a lot of love for Waiters.

Beal just didnt light it up at Florida and then there were questions about his size coming in to college. I remember when people were saying he was 6'5" and Rivers was like 6'3".5 or 6'4". Come to find out they are about the same height or Rivers is slightly taller.

But hey, if his stock rose because he is a safe pick, I have no problem with it.

I agree with you, and I also think its because of his character and the fact that ppl deemed rivers uncoachable which to me scared a lot of teams from even looking at him as a potential top 5 prospect and players like Ross and waiters went ahead of him 2 players I think will struggle in the league, waiters being randy foye all over again and Ross being a Martel Webster clone, i think beal is a safer pick I guess to teams cuz of his body and they they knew what they could or have in a shooter but to me that's it, as for Barnes i think him struggling when Marshall went out hurt his stock

Great question. After I figure out why Dion Waiters went 4, Terrence Ross went 8, and if Damian Lillard played against any REAL TEAMS last year, then I will get back to you about Bradley Beal.

Beal sounds like a solid 2 guard prospect, but a bit undersized. I guess he would be a poor man's Eric Gordon but I am not sure what that gives you. Sounds like a decent pick though. Not GREAT at anything but he can do some of everything from the shooting guard spot. Score, shoot, rebound.

He may end up being the best 2 guard out of this draft. But, I don't know what that means either.

This was sort of a weird draft. A purported "no-brainer" pick at number one in Anthony Davis followed by the vague notion of "depth". I guess that means a bunch of solid rotation guys. Maybe fourth options on playoff teams or a great 7th or 8th guy on a championship team. Not sure if there are many superstars in this draft outside Anthony Davis. AD isn't a lock for the Hall of Fame either.

But, I do actually like Brad Beal better than Austin Rivers. Rivers is a two guard who wants to play point guard AND be the man. If Austin Rivers does his Kobe impersonation then there could be some long seasons in New Orleans. Ironically, Rivers plays with another guy on this list now, Eric Gordon. Not sure how that is going to work out.

I like Beal better as an all-around shooting guard who will leave the "point guard hero ball" to John Wall.

There is generally a lack of shooting guards out there, so Beal made some sense. There were actually a few guys in the lottery that I am not quite sold on. So given Beal's solid reputation out of high school, his solid season at Florida, a lack of red flags, and a dearth of legit shooting guards then this pick makes more sense than some other lottery picks.

I think, like other shooting guards, Beal will have some games where he looks great, like a perennial all-star, then bad games where he looks like a poor man's OJ Mayo.

He is no Ray Allen. I think he was valued because he should be good help from the start and is almost a cant miss 12 plus year starter. I think Beal is going to give what he gives from the start to the end. Meaning his rookie year I expect good numbers. Like 13 & 4. And in his prime, not much more. Like 16 & 6. Always be a good defender and play hard. I think that is his value.

My feelings about Beal are this. I don't think that Flordia last year was a great fit for him. I starting watching a lot of film on him after i knew it was likely the Wizards would be picking either him,MKG, or T-Rob. He was out of position at SF and didn't play with the guys that were going to set him up with great looks. The one thing that frustrated me with Beal was that when he did finally get the ball he would defer to both Walker and Boytin. Beal isn't a Iso, clear out, let me do my thing type of player. The ball is never going to stop when it hits his hands.So when he did get the ball with a defender on him he's going to swing it before he takes a bad shot. The fact that he isn't a polished ball handler could be a reason as well. Rarely did Beal get any plays called for him. He pretty much was a camped out on the wings and waited for the ball to come his way and when it did he really couldn't do much since he's not a great ball handler. The thing i like most about him is his IQ. Gets in great position to rebound, saw flashes of his playmaking abilities, unselfish and will find a teammate before he throws up a shot just to for the sake of shooting. I think his stock rose when he started to heat up toward the end of the season and started showing more of his all around game. 16 ppg, 8 rebs, 3 asst 1.5 steals in the tourney. Pairing him with Wall is going to be hell once both guys start reaching thier potential.

A lot of people are giving Beal so leeway because of the team he played for. He had a great shot in high school and they figure with a point guard like Wall that likes to pass, Beal should work out fine. I did like him over a lot of guys that fell for some reason and I feel like Barnes, Drummonds, Rivers, and a few others will be better than him but I think he is in a great position in Washington. That being said, he may have trouble beating out Jordan Crawford because you have to think this lit a fire and Crawford will do whatever he can to keep that starting spot now that Wiz actually have a solid team.

The kid just plays. He plays the game the right way and has a very well rounded game at a young age. He can move without the ball. He can catch and shoot. He needs to work on his ball handling, but he'll have no problems putting the ball on the floor and driving to the basket against defenders trying to close out on him. He's not an isolation style player, but he'll be good enough to create his own offense. He's unselfish and makes the right passes.

He's not as explosive as Eric Gordon, but he has that Gordon type of body and likes playing through contact. He doesn't shy away from contact at the rim. He defends well and will probably be able to defend three positions in the NBA, depending on the matchup at small forward.

This kid is going to get a lot better and he's playing with a point guard that can pretty much get anywhere on the floor. I think Beal was the right pick for the Wizards in this draft. He'll probably never be a superstar, but he'll be a very good player for a long time.

Couldn't have said it better myself. I totally agree. Joe Dumars is the exact player he reminds me of.

My only reserve about Beal is that he isn't very assertive or aggressive. He doesn't seem to have the, "I'm about to embarrass you right now" instinct, but Dumars didn't either, and he was still a HOFer and a super consistent NBA player. 16-18 points, 38 percent from 3, 5-6 boards, great defense, limited TOs, reliable at the line.

I think the reason he went so high isn't because everyone thought he was going to be the most explosive scorer in the league, but because you REALLY can't butcher high picks. If you take a chance on someone who doesn't end up panning out from like 10-30ish, it's no big deal, oh well, you tried. But you can't take huge risks in the top 3. There isn't much of a risk with Beal. He may not end up being a total monster, but the chances that he'll be a bust are less than any other guard in the draft.

My personal feeling about Beal is he has been overrated. Now that is not say that he will not be a good player but I have always said I think at shooting guard both Ross and Lamb will be better. Barnes will be far better and the Ray Allen comparison I never saw. From what I saw he is good shooter and solid rebounder for a guard. I do think his rebounding numbers are skewed due to him covering small forwards a lot at Florida and being inside more than average 2 guard is. He will be solid but I do not see star potential in him. I think he will have a long career. That said I think in a few years the team will look back at the pick and say they could have done better.

Beals 3pt percentage over the last 6 games was 42%. But that's not why people are saying Beal is an elite shooter. It is because he has the some of most flawless mechanics I've ever seen. While Rivers is a bit bent. Barnes has good form just not like Beal. Beal is also a much better defender than Rivers and a bit better than Barnes. Beal is in my opinion a better athlete then Rivers. Rivers has a nice first step but besides that Beal is faster a better leaper and much stronger. He is also a much better finisher and free throw shooter 77% to 66% than Rivers. Barnes is a better athlete then Beal but he doesnt always use it. Beal is also a great teammate as opposed to Rivers who is selfish and has tunnel vision. Beal and Barnes were really close in terms of where scouts had them ranked beal just got the nod because people worried by Barnes lack of production without Marshall combined with Beals production with shoot first point guards. Beal is a much more complete player then Rivers so that's why hes higher rated. Nonetheless all 3 are hard workers with Beal and Barnes being bonafide gym rats and Austin rivers being a player with a drive to be great.

I think Beal emerged as the best shooting guard prospect this year. Who knows what Jeremy Lamb would have done in a more stable U-Conn environment, but instead of solidifying himself as a top 5 pick, he raised a lot of questions.

Beal, I feel, has the makings of a good scorer and a good rebounder for a guard. He has the athletic ability and length to develop into a good NBA defender and he peaked at the right time too. From the last game of the regular season ( against NCAA Champ Kentucky ) and 4 NCAA games he averaged.

If there's one thing you can do to help your cause as a college player is heat up down the stretch and that is exactly what Beal did.

I suspect he'll be around a 11-12 ppg 5 rpg player as a rookie, but a guy who will average 20 ppg and 7 rpg as a peak. A guy who can make an All-Star game or two. I don't see him as a HOF player, nor a perennial All-Star, but certainly the top SG prospect. I still think Lamb will be the better defender of the two, but I think Waiters will not be the player he's expected to be as a #4 pick. In retrospect I feel Washington will be okay with the fact they picked Beal, but may wonder what would have been if they picked Harrison Barnes.